Urban Dead: The Price of the Oath

[Josh]

"Noted and logged, Doctor Freeman," the voice replied.

[Caz]

"Well I'd rather you than some other bastard," Gwen said with an authoritative nod. She then managed a few more bites from the can before sinking back down into the blanket with a groan.

"You say that, yet you're taking care of me. Why?"

[Cynical Cat]

"You're not my enemy. Costs me nothing to help you. Either you live and your people owe me, or you die and I have your meat."

[Pcm979]

The Leader gazed upon his domain with satisfaction. He had about… Five? Ten? No, Five tens. Fifty, that was the word. He had about fifty Zombies under his control, nearly half of those present. Six of those were smart- Not as smart as him, but far better than the regulars he had to baby every step of the way. They were already dividing the troops among themselves, taking the weight off his mind.

More would come, and they would come to him.

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Punt crawled through the debris slowly, occasionally glancing back at his troops. His team was comprised of him, a girl from the Militia, Ellen, and a bloke from the Second’s little gang of elites. His name was Graham, it seemed. But names didn’t matter; Ability did. He glanced up, satisfied and something caught his eye. A feral grin parted his lips and he flipped on his radio.


“Los?” He whispered.

“Yeah, bossman?” Asked the teen gruffly.

“Check th’ rubble, see ‘f any ‘f th’ charges didn’t go off.”

“What?” Losonti Tokash, 19, asked in puzzlement.

“Hey, we gotta do somethin’ for Guy Fawkes Day.” Punt chuckled.

[Pcm979]

Mike cleared his throat. "Sir, I am also representing a large group of survivors, roughly two hundred as of now. So far we're holding out, but food is getting scarce, as well as medical supplies and ammunition. We have thirty-odd trained doctors and over one hundred combat-ready personnel. We're willing to put our resources at your service, in exchange for supplies."

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Losonti put the radio away, confused. What the hell did Punt think he was doing? But still, he was the boss. Damn him. He fiddled with his switchblade subconciously, then made up his mind.

"Change of plan." He whispered to the two under his charge. "We're goin' boom-boom hunting."

"Eh?" Asked one, a Militaman whose name Los hadn't been paying attention to.

Los shrugged. "Beats the fuck out of me."

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The Leader's murky memory swam before his eyes. Fire. Fire good. But fire was bad, because-

He remembered the explosions.

There were fire-makers here!

[Josh]

"I regret that at this time we cannot offer support beyond supplies of serum and Necrotech equipment, Dr. Freeman."

[Pcm979]

Mike looked at Petro warningly. Give me a few more minutes.

"To put it in less clinical terms, you regret that at this time two hundred people are going to freeze to death, starve, and die of easily cureable diseases before the winter is out."

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Punt scrambled over another pile of rubble. "L, there." He pointed, and the woman set up her rifle. "Gray, cover me. We're givin' th' others a nice d'straction, 'n' grabbin' a thing 'r two for th' mantelpiece."

--------- ----------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------

The Leader assigned one of his... Deputies the task of finding some fire-makers. They would not be defeated by the elements.

[Josh]

Silence filled the room.

"There are a great many things about this situation that you do not understand, Doctor Freeman," the man answered.

Petro's fists clenched as he listened, but he didn't knock Mike away from the microphone.

Yet.

[Pcm979]

"I could say the same thing about you." Mike said brutally. "How much do you really know, going by your satellite data and flybys? I am offering you on-the-ground, up-to-date information. In exchange, we wish to survive. That's what I know, sir. Two hundred people who don't fancy dying."

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Los creeped into one of the abandoned buildings, his team trailing after him. "This one didn't go." He said redundantly. "Get the shit and get out." He concluded, turning around-

To find his team dead.

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The lieutenant grinned, or perhaps it always looked like that. Prey, here! More meat! It hefted the axe it had used to kill the Prey, and charged.

[Josh]

"We know more than you think," the man answered, the first hint of real emotion showing. "A hundred and seventy-six people are currently in the Caiger Mall at the moment. Darek Silver's diversionary attack has delayed the southbound horde by at least a day, and one of is subordinates is in the process of leading another diversionary attack."

There was another pause. A muffled voice said something in the background, before the man continued.

"Stand by, Doctor Freeman."

[Pcm979]

Mike grinned and looked at Petro. We're getting somewhere. He mouthed.

If he hadn't known how damn good NT's satellites and databases were, he might have been surprised. Frankly, he'd long ago decided that they were under the microscope. In fact, a dark part of him suspected that they were there on purpose.

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Los yanked his gun from his belt and fired. The sound was tremendous, reverberating through the building and blasting into the air.

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The Leader twitched. An attack! His army mustered, Zombies dragging themselves from the rubble and blinking dazedly in the half-light. Their overseers raced around, herding them into defensive formations, and the strongest, toughest Zombies amassed around their leader. Nothing would get through.

Unless Alistair Punt had anything to say about it.

[Josh]

And yet a third voice came online, another man. "Doctor Freeman, Lieutenant Szuhonkobeker, we may well be able to help each other."

Petro blinked. The man had almost even gotten his name right. With power restored, not a big surprise that they could scope that he was in there.

[Pcm979]

"Sir Leicester, sir." Mike said pleasantly. "I believe we met at the annual ball, although I'm sure you saw hundreds of new employees that day." Either Mike was made for these situations, or the sound of NT's CEO didn't have quite the same effect on him after four months in post-outbreak Malton.

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"Fuck." Snarled Punt as the shots rang out. "L, take out the quick fucks. Keep movin'. Gray, we've got a team t' help."

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Los kept firing, but the Zombie kept standing up again. Eventually, he ran out of bullets. The Zombie cocked its head to the side and hefted the axe. Almost a challenge.

"Okay, cocksucker." Growled the boy, belying his terror. He flipped his switchblade out.

"Give it to me."

[Josh]

"Socialization be damned, Doctor," the voice snapped. "We don't have time for a lengthy discourse."

Suddenly a bank of monitors went active, showing that zombies were shambling into the building.

"FUCK," Petro snarled.

"We will be dropping satellite uplink equipment along with emergency supplies on the mall as soon as it can be arranged. Which will be soon."

[Pcm979]

"Exactly the way I like it, sir. Now, if you'll pardon me, we have to run like fuck." Mike said, pushing himself away from the equipment and almost vaulting to his feet.

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Los ducked under a wide swing, bringing his blade up into the Zombie's belly and dragging. The smell alone almost knocked him out, and the Zombie's knee to his chest left him gasping. The beast carefully collected its intestines off the floor and shoved them back into its chest, still grinning horribly.

"Well-" Gasped Los. "Zat- All ya got?"

Then the Zombie exploded. Punt lowered his shotgun. "C'mon, Mr. Tough-talk." He growled. "Get the fuckin' 'splosives."

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The Leader growled. Being the only smart one in the group had its disadvantages. Especially when your most able subordinates were having their heads blown off.

He resolved to crush this irritation. Personally, if need be.

The army marched.

[Josh]

Petro stared at the monitors for a long moment, then hit the transmit key.

"Tell me you paranoid corporate fuckers got a secret helicopter stashed in here."

"No, lieutenant, we don't. However, there is an executive elevator run on the backup generators."

Building blueprints flashed on the screen, highlighting the path to the elevator.

"Give me a full view of the building specs now," Petro ordered. Multiple monitors lit up with interior maps laid out. He studied it for a few seconds, tapped a monitor, then hit the key again.

"Talk to you later, Sir Leicester."

He grabbed his machete and slung it into his side, then drew his pistol.

"Alright Irregulars, we're moving out. The horde has entered the building!"

[Pcm979]

Mike dashed into the room where they'd had the massive battle and yanked his axe from a corpse. He turned to Sherry.

"Your gun, love." He said, pulling it from his waistband and sliding it across the floor.

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Punt glanced over his shoulder, right through the wall. "Ah, shit. Move it! Now!" He hefted an explosive barrel and dragged it outside. Losonti and Graham looked at each other. Odd man. They hefted their own barrels and followed him as best they could.

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The fast ones charged ahead, the Leader right beside them. Circle the... Sniper, take it down!

[Josh]

Petro power-swaggered into the room, ostentatiously checking his pistol as he moved.

"Okay folks, it seems that the locals have decided to trash the place once again. But! That doesn't concern us, because we're heading to the eighth floor in style, via the executive elevator. There might even be an attendant!" he said cheerfully as he started down the hallway. "Of course, we might have to shoot him," he concluded. "Probably a little stale."

[Caz]

Sherry looked up, only vaguely appearing to understand what was happening. After a moment of staring, she shook her head a bit then nodded to Mike a bit too quickly.

"Okay, yeah, yeah," she said, picking up the firearm and holstering it. "Let's move."

[Pcm979]

He glanced at her, concerned. But that could wait. Until they weren't about to become food. He followed Petro.

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Punt gasped into his radio: "Good girl, L. 'Nother few mins..."

He scrambled up the ridge. "'Kay, set 'em here, there 'n' there." He said, pointing. "Blow 'em when I say." And then he was gone again.

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One of the Leader's bodyguard dropped, head bursting like a watermelon. The group skidded to a halt below the last pile of rubble seperating them from their prey. It had been foolish to charge, but the flesh called to them so...

The Leader bodily hefted two of his guards and used them as inhuman shields, leaping over the rubble.

[Josh]

He shifted the pistol over, drawing his machete with his free hand, leading them through the hallways. As they approached a new section, the doors slid open silently, opening into a new part of the facility.

"Look alive, boys and girls," he whispered, continuing forward. "Anything happens, three left, two right, elevator hit the target floor and go east."

[Caz]

Sherry stalked through the corridors of the Necrotech compound as though it were a stroll through the park on a summer's day. She seemed to be completely unaffected by the gore around them, by the impending threat. In fact, were it not for the small nod of acknowledgement she made at Petro's statement about the formation, one would have thought she was on another world entirely.

[Pcm979]

Mike twirled his axe nervously, subconciously moving closer to Sherry. It was so like them to get into the worst shit just when they were almost done.

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Punt slammed against the rubble, panting. There were four of the fuckers there. Four! And the big one had just gone over. He'd fucking killed L, he knew it.

"'Kay." He grunted into the radio. "Now." A pause. "NOW!"

The barrels blew, taking the Zombie's camp with them.

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The Leader's head whipped around, mouth covered in gore. But that didn't matter.

Gone! His Horde of fifty, GONE!

Four bangs, and his bodyguard went down. Punt hopped over the rubble.

"Hey there." He said, dropping his empty shotgun and drawing his axe. "How ya' doin'?"

[Josh]

He navigated them through the bends, leading them to the elevator. "All aboard," he said, punching the button. The doors slid open and a zombie lurched outward.

"FUCK!" he said. He'd only been joking about an attendant. He sidestepped, the starved zombie tripping over his extended ankle.

[Caz]

As the zombie stumbled forward, Sherry caught it straight through the chin with her axe, kicking the body back, nonplussed.

"Let's go," she grumbled.